Maldives to open 20 new resorts in 2019 to boost tourism

Ibrahim Mohamed Solih

Male, Feb 8 (UITV/IANS) - Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced on Friday that 20 new luxury resorts will be opened in the island country this year to boost the number of tourist arrivals.

Solih said the new resorts would increase the bed capacity to over 47,000 and this would help Maldives achieve its target of attracting 1.5 million tourists by the end of the year and 2.5 million tourists per year by 2022, reports Xinhua news agency.

Solih further said mega marketing campaigns were presently underway to further enhance Maldives' exposure in foreign markets.

In 2018, the Maldives attracted 1.4 million tourists and by the end of the year, the country had 145 resorts and 521 guesthouses, boasting a bed capacity of 44,800.

Last year, India and China were the leading markets for Maldivian tourism.